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NC State Basketball

Wolfpack Rip #2 Duke 87-75 : The Aftermath

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10 years ago

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NC State upset unbeaten #2 Duke today 87-75 at the PNC on national TV. State used 21 points from Trevor Lacey, 14 points and 4 blocks from Beejay Anya and 16 from Ralston Turner to take down the cross-town rivals.

We talked about 3 keys for the Pack to upset Duke…here is how they checked those boxes and walked away with the huge victory.

1 | Stop Okafor
Sure, he scored 23 points on the night, but overall the Pack kept the freshman phenom off balance. State sent their opposite side big down to double and was quick on rotating down and forcing Okafor to pass out of the post. When he did State was able to rotate efficiently and force tough shots all night long. When Duke did get interior looks Anya and Washington were able to erase those with blocks (the Pack had 10 total).

2 | Protect the basketball
Duke is known for their pestering defense out top, but State was able to withstand that pressure and get into their offense. NC State’s bigger guards were a big mismatch for the Duke perimeter players, allowing them to hold off pressure and pass over the top when needed. State only turned the ball over 10 times, which was very good against a defense that rarely quits.

3 | Bigs and Bench
This Wolfpack team hadn’t put these two things together all season, but today they did. The bigs were outstanding. One reason they were able to do so much damage was thanks to their willingness to share. Duke brought doubles but State was too quick with their high-lows and interior passing, getting them wide open layups and good clean one on one opportunities in the paint. One huge factor was Kyle Washington’s first half passing. KWash is known for his ability to score in the post, but today his passing and awareness was what stood out. He was quick in his decision making and beat Duke’s rotation over and over. He had 3 assists, but countless good looks in the post.

Sure, good passing was nice to see but they were also able to finish in the paint against Okafor. Washington had 9 points, Abu had 8 and Anya (one of State’s players of the game) added 14.

The other side of this key was the bench. NC State has had trouble getting their bench going as of late, but today they had it clicking. Anya came off the bench and provided the Pack with a huge boost on both ends. He finally showed the ability to finish with his back to the basket and also did what he does best, clean up the offensive glass (3 ORebs). Anya also added 6 boards and 4 huge blocks. The other guy that played great off the bench was a Martin twin, but not the one you are used to. This time is was Cody Martin who got the majority of the minutes. He filled up the stat sheet with 6 points, 5 assists and 3 boards (in only 16 minutes of action), but it was his defense that kept him on the floor. Martin was everywhere, using his length and quickness to force tough shots, grab loose balls and really give State a lot of energy whenever they started to slow down.

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Overall, this was a huge win for the Wolfpack. It gave them their first premium win and gives them a ton of momentum heading into their Wednesday matchup with arch-rival UNC.

We’ll have more breakdown of this game with deep stats, quotes and much more…stay tuned and party on, Raleigh!

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

First of all, nice freaking win. Where was this team all season? The balanced offensive attack was refreshing. The hustle, attacking the press, defense, passing, ball control. It was all there. Let’s be honest here… Okafor is the man. 8 for 11, 12 rebs, 3 blks, and 23 pts. He scored at will and against double teams all game. If he got some help from his teammates this would have been a tighter game. Where the Wolf Pack succeeded was on ball defense, help defense against penetration, and quick double-teams on Okafor limiting his number of shot attempts. Game ball… Read more »

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NC State Basketball

NC State Women’s Basketball To Play in the Jimmy V Classic for the 5th Time

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2 weeks ago

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August 24, 2024

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NC State’s Women’s Basketball team will be playing in the 2024 Jimmy V Classic on December 15th at Louisville at 1pm on ABC.

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Because the game will be against the Cardinals, it will serve as the Wolfpack’s ACC opener.

Here’s a look at the other matchups in the Women’s Jimmy V Classic.

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This marks the 5th time that the NC State Women’s Basketball team has played in the Jimmy V Classic: UConn (2002), Texas (2003), Tennessee (2004), South Carolina (2020).

The Wolfpack are 8-8 all-time against Louisville, but are currently on a 5-game winnings streak against the Cardinals.

ESPN ranks NC State 8th in their Way-Too-Early 2024-25 Preseason Top-25, and they rank Louisville 12th. The Wolfpack finished 4th in the AP Poll last season, and the Cardinals finished 30th.

 

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NC State Basketball

Date/Time/Network Info Released for NC State’s Final Four Rematch vs. Purdue

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2 weeks ago

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August 24, 2024

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Back at the end of July, it was reported that NC State’s Men’s Basketball team would play Purdue this upcoming season in the Rady Children’s Invitational, in a rematch from last year’s Final Four.

Now we know the time, date and network.

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The game will be on November 28th at 3pm. The game will be televised on FS1. The games will be played in Liontree Arena in San Diego.

BYU and Ole Miss will be the other two teams playing in the tournament.

Last year, BYU finished right outside the Top-25, and Ole Miss is ranked 22nd in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top-25. Purdue is ranked 16th in those rankings as well.

The inaugural tournament took place last year, with Iowa, Oklahoma, Seton Hall and USC.

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NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts Opens a Piano Bar in Downtown Wilmington

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3 weeks ago

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August 17, 2024

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NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts has opened a Piano Bar called Tempo 33 in Downtown Wilmington.

Tempo 33 had a soft launch on Wednesday, and officially opened to the public tonight.

The piano bar, which includes live entertainment, an expansive bar and upscale, contemporary seating areas, will only open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. It’s on the top floor of the Roudabush building, above Yosake and The Husk on S. Front St. (Link)

Keatts and his business partner Clayton Gsell had been looking for the perfect location, and finally found a home.

The Wolfpack head coach has roots in Wilmington, serving as the Head Men’s Basketball coach for UNCW from 2014-17.

 

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Canadian Transfer Ismael Diouf is on Campus and Ready to Roll

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3 weeks ago

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August 17, 2024

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Back on June 24th, NC State landed a massive pickup when Canadian Forward Ismael Diouf (6’9″/215) transferred to run with the Wolfpack. I have confirmed with a source that Diouf is on campus, enrolled for classes, and will start Monday.

There was never any concern here. Diouf’s delay in arrival was simply a matter of processing paperwork.

Diouf played collegiate ball at Laval in Quebec City.

This past season, Diouf averaged 10.1 points and 6.2 rebounds for Laval, and then went on to average 18.3 points and 11.7 rebounds in the Final 8 Tournament, where the Victors won the National Championship. Diouf earned the MVP title in the Tournament.

Wolfpack Assistant Coach Levi Watkins ran point on Diouf’s recruitment.

Diouf has 2-years of eligibility remaining. He was the #1 Draft Pick this year in CEBL, but didn’t sign with the team, making him eligible to still play college ball.

According to a source, the staff believes Diouf is very talented, and will play and contribute this season.

 

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